1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for monitoring individuals and, more specifically for a system for monitoring parolees and healthcare employees.
2. Description of the Related Art
One common way of monitoring the location of individuals under parole is by requiring them to wear an ankle monitor. An ankle monitor is a device that is typically worn around the individual's ankle and that cannot be taken off except by a monitoring officer. Periodically, such monitors transmit a location signal to a central server. The central server is monitored by an officer, who is alerted when the individual is at a location outside of a zone in which the individual is authorized to be. Most ankle monitors employ global positioning satellite (GPS) locating electronics and a radio transceiver that transmits the location to the server.
Because of the power necessary to send a signal to a remote server, many ankle monitoring systems are paired with a repeater transmitter that re-transmits the signal from the ankle monitor to the server. The repeater transmitter is typically kept at the individual's house or other authorized location.
The use of repeater transmitters can limit the mobility of offenders because they must always be within range of a repeater transmitter. However, it is sometimes desirable with offenders to allow them to travel to several different locations that typically do not have repeater transmitters. For example, it is desirable for certain offenders to attend a technical college, to go work, or to perform community service, and each of these locations are unlikely to have repeater transmitters installed.
Additionally, wearing an ankle monitor can be uncomfortable. Additionally, an ankle monitor can be hard to hide with normal clothing, which can cause unnecessary embarrassment to individuals who are required to wear them and unnecessary concern to surrounding people.
Certain types of workers, such as home health care workers, must also be monitored regularly to ensure that they visit their designated treatment locations at the times they are designated to do so. Given the negative connotation associated with ankle monitors, such monitors are not suitable for tracking such workers.
Therefore, there is a need for a system for tracking individuals that can be employed without requiring a repeater transmitter.
There is also a need for a system for tracking individuals that do not require use of an ankle monitor.